Asteroid Apophis -
HO / NASA / JPL UH / IA / AFP
An asteroid the size of the Eiffel Tower will pass near the Earth in 2029. So close, that it could do some damage not far from us,
Business Insider
reported on
Friday, relayed by
Presse-Citron
.
Passing by last Friday, the 340m-long asteroid, dubbed Apophis, was less than 16.7 million kilometers from Earth, about 44 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
But when it returns in eight years, on April 13, 2029, it will be just over 30,000 km, or only… one tenth of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
Possible collisions with satellites
According to NASA scientists, the return of Apophis in 2029 does not represent any danger for our planet.
But the asteroid could wreak havoc in the surrounding area, however, hitting high-altitude communications satellites orbiting Earth.
The US space agency has released a simulation video of the future passage of Apophis near us.
It is likely that the phenomenon is visible to the naked eye on this day.
Discovered in 2004, the asteroid had a 3% chance of colliding with Earth, according to calculations by astronomers.
These predictions have since been revised.
The passage of Apophis in 2036 will not present any risk for our planet.
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